A very sad but true tragic story -
A YOUNG mother is bringing up her daughter from beyond the grave - after she wrote a "mummy manual" for her husband when she was struck down by breast cancer.
Helen Harcombe, 28, was devastated when she was given just six months to live.
It would mean leaving heartbroken husband Antony, 31, alone to bring up their seven-year-old daughter Ffion.
So, without telling her husband, Helen set to work writing a three-page list giving Antony a step-by-step guide to her role.
It ranged from how to brush Ffion's hair and where to buy her school uniforms and "trendy" clothes for outside school, right down to taking flowers to her grave on Mother's Day.
Helen even stipulated which stores Antony should buy the clothes from - only Marks & Spencer and Clarks' shoes were only deemed good enough for their gorgeous, brown-haired daughter.
And she included things which a dad may not think of - like getting a lock for the bathroom door when she's older.
The idea occurred to Helen, a trading standards officer from Porth, Rhondda, after she broke the news of her illness to Ffion, saying, "I'm going to heaven."
Ffion replied, "How will you look after me, mummy?"
"Don't worry," Helen told her, "I'm going to heaven and I will look after you from there."
And true to her word, Helen's treasured advice continues to help Antony and Ffion four months after her death. Helen's instructions were passed to Antony by his in-laws when she died three days after Christmas.
Antony said, "I feel like a much better parent with Helen to help me. I'm always thinking, 'How would Helen have done it? What would she want me to say?'
"Now I know I'm bringing up Ffion as Helen would want me to. We lost an incredible, wonderful woman."
He added, "I have read that list a thousand times. I can picture Helen writing those things down.
"I bet she had thousands of other things to tell me but didn't get a chance."
Full list of the letter can be found
here
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